Advent Reader: Lineage is More Than a List of Names

Matthew 1:1-6a

In this passage we see the lineage of Jesus the Messiah that traces back to Abraham. It's easy to skip over these types of passages in the Bible and disregard them as ‘just a list of names’. However, these lists are key to understanding the credentials of King Jesus and God's faithfulness in His promise to Abraham.

The reason this lineage is so important for Matthew to include in his Gospel is that it validates who Jesus is to the Jewish people. They had long awaited a King from the line of David who would fulfill the Torah and the Prophets. Jesus's ancestry from the Messianic line of David, combined with His birth in Bethlehem and His miraculous conception, confirms that He is Immanuel, God with us, and the King of Kings.

The Bible is full of examples of God’s faithfulness, and it’s a story that is centred around Jesus. Because of this, we know that He is a father who keeps His promises. Although we are not reading Matthew in the same context as the Jewish people, we can be encouraged by God revealing who his Son is. As members of His family we can claim this as our story and adoptive heritage. If God is faithful through generations, surely He is faithful to us, His children, today.